Hanson voters oust Constantine, reject Proposition 2½ override

Sunday

May 19, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 19, 2013 at 7:17 PM

Tom Constantine is making an early exit from the Hanson Board of Health. Constantine, who was elected to the board in 2011 and whose term had a year to go, was the target of a recall election Saturday, and residents voted 887-316 to remove him.

Eryn Carlson

Tom Constantine is making an early exit from the Hanson Board of Health.

Constantine, who was elected to the board in 2011 and whose term had a year to go, was the target of a recall election Saturday, and residents voted 887-316 to remove him.

The recall petition, which said Constantine was “unable and incapable of managing and handling the duties of the board,” began circulating in January.

Gilbert Amando was chosen to serve for the remainder of Constantine’s term.

Constantine had been serving as the board’s chairman.

The residents who went to the polls Saturday also decided against a $140,274 Proposition 2½ override in a 536-778 vote. The money would have been put toward the town’s assessed share of the fiscal 2014 Whitman-Hanson regional school budget.

In the only race on the annual town election ballot, Selectmen David Soper was re-elected to a three-year term, beating challenger Kenneth Mitchell Sr. Soper got 721 votes to Mitchell’s 633.

Unopposed candidates Terence McSweeney and Andrew Sargent were elected to a three-year term on the board of Memorial Field trustees and a two-year term on the water commission, respectively.

Voters also re-elected: Sean Kealy, to a one-year term as moderator; Kathleen Marini, to a three-year term as assessor; Elizabeth Sloan, to a three-year term as town clerk; Terence McSweeney, to a three-year term on the board of health; Robert Sears, to a five-year term on the town’s housing authority; Robert Brown Jr., to a three-year term as tree warden; and Joseph Michael Duffy and Donald Howard, to three-year terms on the water commission.

Dianna Clare McDevitt and incumbent Mary Lozeau were elected to the board of library trustees, while Donald Ford Jr. and incumbent Susan McSweeney were elected to the school committee.